A nutty, crazy day

Jan. 24, 2013

Gretel Ann Fischer, owner of Cupp's Café and Bakery in Winooski, is a contestant on the TLC reality show 'The Next Great Baker,' which airs Monday nights. In this week's episode she and her team were challenged to make a Sweet 16 cake. / Courtesy TLC

Written by

Gretel-Ann Fischer

Free Press Columnist

Gretel-Ann Fischer, owner of Cupp’s Café and Bakery in Winooski, is a contestant on the TLC reality show “The Next Great Baker,” which airs Monday nights. Each week Fischer writes about her experience in the previously taped competition and provides a recipe.

Monster cake toppers.

If there is one baker’s challenge that I was dreading the most, this was the challenge. Let me break this down for you: I don’t run. I don’t lift 500 pounds in two minutes every day. And then be expected to go decorate a cake with jelly arms. I knew once the challenge was revealed that I was going to get smoked!

Thank the heavens above that these challenges don’t send me home or mean very much. But reality show host Buddy Valastro said that this is the challenge with which he can tell who wants it the most. Are you kidding me?! I want this! I want it so bad that if you cut me open, I would bleed buttercream.

We were told that this would be a “triathlon challenge,” and be expected to move 500 pounds of shortening onto pallets, then to measure (or scale) out 27 pounds into a bowl, and finally to ice a small cake. I finished last. Ugh! Ashley ended up winning, and was awarded with a Somerset fondant sheeter. I would have really loved to have taken that home!

For the elimination challenge we were separated into two teams, this time it’s battle of the sexes. The winning team would get their cake in Buddy’s cake book. That’s quite an honor as his clientele use this book to order from.

We set out to make a Sweet 16 cake. The men make a baby shower cake.

Jen, Ashley and I started out working well together. We need a topper for the cake. We need an awesome topper that would cinch the win. Here is where the monster comes to life. Yup, that’s what I said, the monster! Ashley was adamant that we top the cake with a monster. Are you kidding me right now? I know we have a solid cake and it’s super clean. If we go down it’s going to be because of the monster ... at least this would give me something to tell Buddy if our cake lost.

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Meanwhile, the guys were making their baby shower cake with a pregnant princess as the topper.

We loaded up our cakes for delivery and Buddy pulls a fast one on us: The cake delivery guy is a stunt car driver. This is the point I was certain I was on “Candid Camera.” A stunt car driver to deliver a cake that took six hours to make. What is Buddy trying to teach us here? It’s true, accidents do happen. I have had a cake fall before delivery and had to whip something up within moments. I get it.

Both cakes were ruined and Buddy gave us three hours to recreate the cakes. He suggested we change what we didn’t like about the first cake.

Decorating the second cake was mayhem. Cake was flying everywhere. We were all screaming and rushing about the kitchen. I had thought that we would not have enough time to have another monster made for the topper. I was wrong. Jen and I suggested that we top the cake with a candy themed topper. Nope. Ashley was sticking to her monster idea and could not be stopped. Shock doesn’t even begin to express what I was feeling. I hoped Ashley is ready to defend the monster because if we fail it’s going to be because of the monster.

No need to defend, we won! We won big! Buddy did tell Ashley that the cake was good, except for the monster. Inside I was doing a quiet happy dance. Who is in the bottom team? Chad, my nemesis! Buddy has said that if he is in the bottom one more time he’s going to the box truck.

While waiting in the “stew” room for the other team to return, so many thoughts were rushing through our minds. How’s it going in there? Who is being sent home? I am hopeful that Chad gets sent home. Much to my surprise, in walks Chad. This can’t be right. Chad explains that Chris and Paul decided to save him. I realize then, if no one else is going to send him home it’s going to be my job to do it.

Because this past week’s episode was so nutty, here’s my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe. They are simple to make and fast. Enjoy.

Peanut butter cookies

1 cup sugar 1 cup peanut butter 1 egg

Bring eggs to room temperature. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Do not use a mixer as this will break down the oil in the peanut butter and will ruin the consistency of the cookie. Form 1-inch balls of dough by hand and place on a greased cookie sheet.